This application claims the priority of German application 196 50 195.4 filed in Germany on Dec. 4, 1996, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a panel assembly in a fascia, in particular in a motor-vehicle dashboard with an airbag disposed underneath the fascia.
German Patent Document DE 43 06 149 A1 discloses a fascia, into a cutout in the boundary wall of which, which is visible in the vehicle interior, there is inserted a panel which contains an airbag cover, which is connected to the panel at predetermined breaking lines as well as by metal hinges. The panel is connected releasably to the visible boundary wall of the fascia by a screw connection, in the vicinity of the predetermined breaking lines or the hinge pin, which causes the panel to be held on the boundary wall of the fascia as the airbag sack inflates and the airbag cover, at the same time, is pressed open. The problem with this is that the screw connection has to be made from the rear side of the fascia so that the screw connection can be covered over towards the vehicle interior, within view of the occupant, in a visually attractive manner. A screw connection of this type should also not protrude in a clearly visible manner into the vehicle interior for reasons of safety in respect of being handled incorrectly or of an injury due to impact. Access when installing and checking the airbag module is not made easier by this rigidly fitted panel. In addition, as the airbag sack is inflating in the event of a crash the entire load of the airbag cover is introduced via the screw connection into the boundary wall of the fascia, which therefore has to be of reinforced design for this high load.
It is furthermore known from German Patent Document No. DE 43 06 449 A1 to screw a panel visibly onto the visible boundary wall of a dashboard, which panel contains an airbag cover which is pressed open in the event of a crash by means of the inflating airbag sack. A panel screw connection in that region of the dashboard which is visible from the vehicle interior is not acceptable either visually or because of the risk of injury from the protruding screws.
German Patent Document DE 42 29 379 C2 describes a covering for the airbag sack in a vehicle, which covering has a panel frame and an airbag cover which opens in the event of a crash and is connected to the panel frame via elastomeric polymer. The panel frame is connected permanently to the visible boundary wall of the dashboard by welding, riveting or bonding. As a result, it is virtually impossible for the panel frame to be replaced after having been damaged in a crash without an expensive repair. It is also only possible to exchange the airbag cover with the dashboard removed.
An object of the invention involves designing a panel, which is of the generic type, is inserted into the visible boundary wall of a fascia and has an integrated airbag cover, such that it can be installed easily, and holding it securely in its position as the airbag sack inflates and the airbag cover opens.
This object is achieved according to preferred embodiments of the invention by providing a panel assembly in a motor-vehicle dashboard fascia, comprising a panel inserted into a cutout in a visible boundary wall of the fascia, an airbag cover which is delimited with respect to the panel and is configured to be pressed open in the event of a crash by means of an inflating airbag sack, and latching projections releasably securing the panel at least in some regions along a contour of the airbag cover and outside the airbag cover in a manner which is invisible from a vehicle interior, wherein the latching projections which are used for the securing are molded integrally onto a rear side of the panel and engage into associated sockets which are not supported on the visible boundary wall of the fascia.
The arrangement of a panel, which can be installed and detached again in a simple manner, in the visible boundary wall of a motor-vehicle fascia has a number of advantages as discussed below.
For the purposes of visual attraction the panel may be constructed from a different material than the boundary wall of the fascia and in another color. Furthermore, it is possible for the panel not to be inserted into the visible boundary wall until the units have been installed in the fascia, thus making the installation of said panel easier. After an airbag sack has inflated during a crash and after the resultant opening movement of the airbag cover integrated into the panel, simple and cost-effective exchange of the panel enables the previous condition to be restored.
The panel, which is arranged centrally in front of a passenger, is secured releasably, in a manner which is invisible from the vehicle interior, so as not to have any unsightly fastenings, but also to minimize any risk of injury being caused by the fastenings. With the latching projections, which, for this purpose, are molded integrally onto the rear side of the panel along the contour of the airbag cover and, in the process, outside the airbag cover, the panel is held securely in that region around the contour of the airbag cover which is acted upon the most strongly as the airbag is inflating, the panel being supported in a socket without that boundary wall of the fascia which is visible and surrounds the panel being subjected to force. The boundary wall of the fascia does not, therefore, have to be reinforced for the panel to have a sufficient support. A panel of this type may be provided in the dashboard over a front-passenger airbag, and equally in a side of a vehicle over a side airbag. In addition, any desired arrangement of the panel in the visible boundary wall of the fascia is possible since the panel can be firmly locked in place. The exit direction of the airbag sack may therefore likewise be selected freely, as a result of which, in the case of a front-seat passenger airbag, a direction approximately parallel with respect to the windshield is also possible, and the airbag sack hence impacts neither against the windshield nor frontally against a passenger.
In an advantageous development, the latching projections can have a hook shape with which they can be inserted into slotted guide links in the socket and can then be displaced approximately in the direction of the panel surface in a manner such that they engage behind it, after which the panel assumes a position in which it is held non-displaceably, by means of a simple, releasable fastening, in a region which is concealed from sight from the vehicle interior. The assuming of this position also enables a check to be made that the panel really is installed correctly in the sockets in an engaging manner. Moreover, this additional, releasable fastening in a dashboard may simultaneously serve for the fastening of the glove compartment.
The panel can cover over an opening in the visible boundary wall of the fascia in such a manner that it corresponds with an airbag cover, which is additionally provided in the visible boundary wall of the fascia, thus producing a relatively large airbag-cover surface or a relatively large opening as the airbag sack is inflating. In this case, it is also possible, by means of the material thickness and the configuration of the airbag-cover hinges or airbag-cover predetermined breaking points, to control the opening movement of the airbag cover in the visible boundary wall of the fascia such that it occurs at a time after the opening movement of the airbag cover in the panel, with the result that it is possible for an inflation direction to be imposed on the airbag sack. In addition, the edge of the airbag cover in the boundary wall of the fascia can be supported on projections on the rear side of the panel, and as a result, pressing-in of the edge from the vehicle interior can be avoided.
In an advantageous manner, the airbag cover is designed such that it coincides with a corner section of the panel and is bounded only on two sides by predetermined breaking lines which tear open successively, starting from the center, in the event of a crash by means of the inflating airbag sack and release the path for said a airbag sack to exit out of the fascia. For this purpose, a panel material made of PC-ABS (polycarbonate-acrylbutadiene) is particularly suitable.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.